3 week vacation: turn powerbook off or leave asleep?

I have a G4 PB hooked to a printer and dsl modem. Usually I never turn this set up off, just close the pb at the end of my evening leaving it asleep for a few hours. As we know from the stability of osx, it goes on for months. It is only when installing some software that requires rebooting that I have rebooted. OK, we know all of that. :-)

However, I am leaving on a three week vacation. Is this too long to leave the setup on and the pb asleep?

Also, If a power outage last for a weekend the batteries drain and the unit will need to be scanned for possible corruption, best to turn it off.

Larry

Alexs wrote:

I have a G4 PB hooked to a printer and dsl modem. Usually I never turn this set up off, just close the pb at the end of my evening leaving it asleep for a few hours. As we know from the stability of osx, it goes on for months. It is only when installing some software that requires rebooting that I have rebooted. OK, we know all of that. :-)

However, I am leaving on a three week vacation. Is this too long to leave the setup on and the pb asleep?

However, I am leaving on a three week vacation. Is this too long to leave the setup on and the pb asleep?

My inclination would be to not only shut it down, but unplug it as well. Most importantly, you can't know if there will be any severe thunderstorms while you're gone, and if there are, you won't be there to unplug it. Also, sleep consumes power (even if only a small amount), and if you're not going to be there for three weeks, that's power wasted.

Also, If a power outage last for a weekend the batteries drain and the unit will need to be scanned for possible corruption, best to turn it off.

There's also lightening. :>

David Magda <dmagda at ee.ryerson.ca>, http://www.magda.ca/ Because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions, and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new. -- Niccolo Machiavelli, _The Prince_, Chapter VI

I have a G4 PB hooked to a printer and dsl modem. Usually I never turn this set up off, just close the pb at the end of my evening leaving it asleep for a few hours. As we know from the stability of osx, it goes on for months. It is only when installing some software that requires rebooting that I have rebooted. OK, we know all of that. :-)

However, I am leaving on a three week vacation. Is this too long to leave the setup on and the pb asleep?

No, it's not too long. There is little difference, as far as the PB goes, in whether you turn it off or put it to sleep.

However, an electrical surge caused by lightning could harm it, and even cause a fire, so if you're away from home for three weeks, you should unplug all your electrical appliances.

I have a G4 PB hooked to a printer and dsl modem. Usually I never turn this set up off, just close the pb at the end of my evening leaving it asleep for a few hours. As we know from the stability of osx, it goes on for months. It is only when installing some software that requires rebooting that I have rebooted. OK, we know all of that. :-)

However, I am leaving on a three week vacation. Is this too long to leave the setup on and the pb asleep?

For three weeks? Why bother leaving it on all that time? Especially since background stuff won't run while asleep anyway.

Also, If a power outage last for a weekend the batteries drain and the unit will need to be scanned for possible corruption, best to turn it off.

Larry

Alexs wrote:

I have a G4 PB hooked to a printer and dsl modem. Usually I never turn this set up off, just close the pb at the end of my evening leaving it asleep for a few hours. As we know from the stability of osx, it goes on for months. It is only when installing some software that requires rebooting that I have rebooted. OK, we know all of that. :-)

However, I am leaving on a three week vacation. Is this too long to leave the setup on and the pb asleep?

Thanks.

I don't know about you but in the summer I could never have a machine on that long because of thunderstorms. Going away that long I would pull the plugs on everything including the phone wire from the DSL system. We usually get one good storm every 3 or 4 days so in the summer up time is not great.

I have a G4 PB hooked to a printer and dsl modem. Usually I never turn this set up off, just close the pb at the end of my evening leaving it asleep for a few hours. As we know from the stability of osx, it goes on for months. It is only when installing some software that requires rebooting that I have rebooted. OK, we know all of that. :-)

However, I am leaving on a three week vacation. Is this too long to leave the setup on and the pb asleep?

Why would you leave your PB on when you know you
won't be using it for three weeks? I unplug
my computer equipment when I am out of town.
That way, I know a lightning strike won't hurt
my stuff, which has happened to me before.
The only reason I can see for not shutting down
your PB is if you inted to access it remotely
while you're away on vacation.

I have a G4 PB hooked to a printer and dsl modem. Usually I never turn this set up off, just close the pb at the end of my evening leaving it asleep for a few hours. As we know from the stability of osx, it goes on for months. It is only when installing some software that requires rebooting that I have rebooted. OK, we know all of that. :-)

However, I am leaving on a three week vacation. Is this too long to leave the setup on and the pb asleep?

No, it's not too long. There is little difference, as far as the PB goes, in whether you turn it off or put it to sleep.

You are PROBABLY right if using OS 9 but you are almost certainly wrong if OS X is the operating system. My vacation was 17 days long and my iBook's battery was flat when I returned. It was fully charged when I left.

Why would you leave your PB on when you know you won't be using it for three weeks? I unplug my computer equipment when I am out of town. That way, I know a lightning strike won't hurt my stuff, which has happened to me before. The only reason I can see for not shutting down your PB is if you inted to access it remotely while you're away on vacation.

And if you need remote access, you can't put it to sleep either. (But turn the display backlight off - no need to shorten its life by leaving it lit for three weeks with nobody looking at it.)

No, it's not too long. There is little difference, as far as the PB goes, in whether you turn it off or put it to sleep.

You are PROBABLY right if using OS 9 but you are almost certainly wrong if OS X is the operating system. My vacation was 17 days long and my iBook's battery was flat when I returned. It was fully charged when I left.

Why on *Earth* would you leave your PowerBook on for 17 days, with nobody using it, and not leave it plugged in? Double the silliness, double the fun? That's akin to leaving a faucet dripping for 17 days with the sink plugged.

My inclination would be to not only shut it down, but unplug it as well. Most importantly, you can't know if there will be any severe thunderstorms while you're gone, and if there are, you won't be there to unplug it. Also, sleep consumes power (even if only a small amount), and if you're not going to be there for three weeks, that's power wasted.

I'd have to agree. I lost two TV's and a cable box to a lightning strike while I was away for a week on vacation. Unplug anything you care about, including stuff to cable lines. This was a very expensive lesson for me.

--Chip
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